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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey has been named the recipient of the 2013 Amazing Leader Award by the United States Olympic Committee, it was announced today. The Amazing Leader Award recognizes an individual or organization whose leadership in the Paralympic Movement has been transformative and who has mobilized and unified athletes, programs and organizations that improve the lives of people with physical and visual disabilities.
“We’re honored to be recognized by U.S. Paralympics with the Amazing Leader Award,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “We’re an inclusive organization that works extremely hard to support both able-bodied and disabled athletes and this award is really a reflection of the thousands of volunteers across the country that champion those efforts.”
As the national governing body for both able-bodied and sled hockey, USA Hockey has been recognized for building a grassroots program that feeds into a successful high-performance pipeline. USA Hockey’s initiatives include an equipment lending program and the Sled Hockey Grant Program, which helps ease the initial financial burden of a new sled hockey program by providing five new sleds to a participating program. Additionally, USA Hockey has implemented player development camps that can identify athletes for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team that has excelled on the international level, capturing the 2010 Paralympic gold medal and two of the last three International Paralympic Committee World Championships.
“The 2013 winners of our Paralympic Amazing Awards are delivering in the areas of grassroots development, elite high performance, sponsorship and philanthropy and telling the Paralympic story,” said USOC Chief of Paralympics Charlie Huebner. “Their success is making a significant impact on the delivery of high quality programming to persons with physical disabilities throughout the United States.”
The Amazing Leader Award will be presented to USA Hockey which during the USOC Paralympic Leadership Conference April 26-28 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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